World’s third elephant twins born at ENP’s Mae Chaem project
Source Thairath newspaper online October 8, 2010
Photo by ENP Staff
The world’s third elephant twins were born in the Elephant Nature Park’s Mae Chaem project, located in Baan Mae Satop, Chiang Mai in the early morning of October 8, 2010
The 28 year-old Phang Kham Moon delivered the first baby at 3.30 A.M and her sister at 3.56 A.M amid a gladness of Karen people in that village. Both twin elephants are healthy. This is the first time that female elephant twins were born in this Karen village and everyone is so excited and happy about this. They prepared an enormous blessing ceremony for both elephants according to Karen tradition.
“We are so happy for the birth of female elephant twins which was never happen before in our Karen village and it regard good spirits for us. Phang Kham Moon gave birth before, but the baby elephant died after birth. This made me so sad. Phang Kham Moon is the only elephant I have now, that’s why I decided to bring her to join the ENP project which was recently starting in Mae Chaem area. Because if I loose her I have nothing. ENP started the ” bring the elephant home ” project in Mae Cham a few months ago. The elephants joining the project will have freedom in the natural forest and live with their own owners or mahouts without working, showing or trekking. ENP will support all elephant food and the salary for the mahout.” The owner and mahout of Phang Kham Moon Somporn Sakchintadakul said.
Phang Kam Moom gave birth to the female elephant twins in the jungle at 4 A.M. Many people heard the voice of the baby elephants but no one can get closer yet in the darkness. When it got dawn, they were so excited to see a baby elephant beside her mother, and after that they heard the voice of another animal near the upper stream. The local villagers first think it’s a tiger’s voice, who want to attack the baby elephant according to the Karen belief. Then the ENP staff and local villagers prepared a percussion-cap gun to protect the baby elephant while searching for the source of that voice until they found the another female elephant at the stream, ENP staff and the volunteers said.
This is the third time that elephant twins are born in Thailand. After females named Phang Jum and Phang Jim were born 15 years ago and Plai Mang Mee and Plai Srisook were born in March 2010 at Chumphonburi district in Surin. The new twins have yet to be given names.
Click <more> for photos of the twins!
